Initial

A highly secure luxury conference centre, nestling between snow-capped mountains, sets the scene for the film. A woman is invited to take part in a seminar, an international summit for influential people. A man, hired as a sniper for the event’s security plan, is positioned on a roof. Each describes their working day in minute detail. The ECAL-trained Swiss director Hugo Radi (Alba, co-directed with Martinez Garcia, VdR 2020) combines a creative way of filming this setting of power with two fictional voice-over accounts in order to construct a dystopian world with real contours. The fine writing brings to life these two characters set as adversaries and who nevertheless still show a semblance of humanity, while all around them is devoid of emotion. This despondent science-fiction film seems to draw inspiration from the most frightening elements of our contemporary world: the society of control, the pandemic, neoliberalism... A boldly atmospheric documentary tale.

Alice Riva